Prostaglandin E2 desensitizes cAMP-mediated pepsinogen secretion in chief cells

To evaluate whether pretreatment with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) could desensitize pepsinogen secretion in chief cells from guinea pig, chief cells were pretreated with 10 microM PGE2 for up to 30 min. Desensitization of subsequent PGE2-stimulated secretion was maximal after 15 min, averaging only 29 +/- 9% (SE) of pepsinogen secretion in control cells stimulated with 10 microM PGE2. Desensitization was half-maximal with 30 nM PGE2. PGE2 pretreatment at 4 degrees C did not cause desensitization. In cells pretreated with 10 microM PGE2 for 15 min and then given 60 min to recover, responsiveness increased to 79 +/- 7% of that for control cells stimulated with PGE2. Thus the desensitization was reversible. Pretreatment with PGD2 and PGF2a did not alter subsequent PGE2-mediated secretion. PGE2-induced desensitization was heterologous but mediator specific because pepsinogen secretion was reduced in response to adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated agents (secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide) but not Ca(2+)-mediated agents (CCK-8, gastrin, or carbachol). Pretreating chief cells with 10 microM PGE2 did not significantly alter cAMP generation in response to PGE2, secretin, or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, suggesting that desensitization was not mediated by an alteration in the receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system. Because PGE2 pretreatment also desensitized pepsinogen secretion induced by the synthetic cAMP analogues 8-BrcAMP and 2'-O-monobutyryl-8-BrcAMP, it is likely that the ability of PGE2 to desensitize pepsinogen secretion in chief cells isolated from guinea pig is due to a mechanism distal to generation of cAMP.